‘Memory Nablus’ is an initiative by artist Angelika Boeck where she invites the people of Nablus to participate in an artistic installation by inscribing their memories on the plaques she placed in public spaces.Ten inscriptions are placed on the walls of the square surrounding al-Diwan in al-Yasmineh neighborhood of the historic center of Nablus; a neighborhood heavily destroyed during the Second Intifada in the year 2000.The texts engraved on stone plaques, a technique largely used in Nablus’ townscape, are based on interviews Boeck held with inhabitants of Nablus during ‘Cities Exhibition – Between Ebal and Gerizim’ in 2011. The randomly chosen participants were asked to tell the artist about “happy moments” that connect them with their city. The first inscription placed in the square recalls F.E.’s childhood memory of bathing in a fountain replaced now by a stone memorial commemorating the death and destruction of Palestinians’ lives during the Israeli incursion, another inscription describes a beginning of a love story.
Diwan, which in German is used as synonym for anthology, in Palestinian culture it is a traditional meeting point where members of the community come together on important occasions such as weddings, funerals and communal deliberations. This artistic initiative is the Diwan that brings together the recording of private moments and secrets of all kinds that reclaim the public space as a testimony of private stories and over time weave the fabric of a collective memory.